Diet & cooking – Page 7

12 JAN

Six Simple Steps to Avoid Food-borne Illness

If you are a vegetarian, the thought of having a food-borne illness probably never crosses your mind. After all, everyone knows that E. coli makes its home in raw beef, and Salmonella breeds rapidly in undercooked chicken or pork.

Well, it’s time to rethink your past beliefs about food-borne illness, as fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, lentils, and dairy products can also play host to a variety of deleterious bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella. In fact, some of the most common carriers of food-borne germs include basil, cantaloupe, lettuce, potatoes, raspberries, scallions, strawberries, and tomatoes.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), food-borne diseases cause an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,200 deaths in the United States each year. Not only are the symptoms uncomfortable; food-borne illnesses can lead to secondary long-term illnesses. For example, there are some strains of E. coli that can cause kidney failure in young children, while Salmonella can lead to reactive arthritis and serious infections. For pregnant women, the Listeria bacteria (commonly found in soft cheeses such as brie and feta) can cause meningitis and stillbirths.

12 JAN

5 Easy Ways to Sneak Soy Into Your Diet

The first written record of the soybean was found in Chinese books dating back to 2838 B.C. It has been the primary protein source for people in Asia for centuries. Americans have used it for little more than oil and livestock feed. But things have changed.
The humble soybean has captured the attention of health-conscious consumers everywhere–with good reason. Research has shown that incorporating soy protein into the diet provides numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and reducing the levels of LDL, or “bad cholesterol,” in the bloodstream. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a recommendation for consumers to integrate 25 grams of soy protein per day into their diets.

12 JAN

Soy Connection

Although soybeans have been a staple crop in China for thousands of years, they have come to Western kitchens only in recent years. In 1904 George Washington Carver noted that the soybean is a rich source of protein and oil. By the early 1930s these beans were grown commercially in the United States. Since then they have been widely used to feed livestock and are currently one of the biggest cash crops in America.

Today soy is known as an inexpensive source of protein. Both the Food Guide Pyramid and Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, fifth ed., list soy foods as a way to meet dietary guidelines. A one-cup (8 oz.) serving of tofu, for example, is listed as a serving suggestion in the meat and beans Group.
Read more about Soy Connection …

12 JAN

There's WHAT in My Food?

Before you wrinkle up your nose and let loose a big “Ick!” consider this fact: Just because you don’t find such items on the menu of your favorite restaurant doesn’t mean they’re not in the food.

Down to the Sea

Take ice cream, pudding, cottage cheese, salad dressing, or chocolate milk. Check the label, and you’ll find the word “carrageen” nestled in with the other ingredients. Fine folk who live and work along the coasts of New England and Canada pull tons of the stuff out of the ocean each year. It’s red, leafy, and totally seaweed.

After being raked into boats, carrageen is taken to processing plants where it’s turned into a tasteless, off-white powder that quickly dissolves in water and becomes jellylike whenever it comes in contact with the proteins found in milk.

12 JAN

Simple Summer Salads

Called the Salad Lady by some in my churches, I love to bring fresh raw foods to our luncheons and potlucks. I learned to love these gourmet salad greens, sometimes called mesclun mix. My sister had married an Italian from Sicily. He loved a big green salad with exotic lettuce, and thus we all learned to love them.

Since I love to garden, I was soon growing my own fresh greens: romaine, arugula, and red lettuce. Later I added radicchio, escarole, and endive to my repertoire. At first I painstakingly gathered the young leaves one by one. That being too time-consuming, I soon learned that I could easily use a sharp knife, trim a whole section off, and they would soon grow new leaves.

Now in my small backyard I have my lettuce garden, along with my other vegetables, interspersed with my flowers. They are so easy to grow, and I love to give them away to friends who appreciate their subtle and not-so-subtle flavors.

Read more about Simple Summer Salads …

01 SEP

Yes, You Can Grow Alfalfa or Clover Sprouts

Prep Time: 2 minutes a day
Growing Time: 6-7 days
Yield: 4 cups
Cost per serving: $0.16

You can buy a set of 3 plastic sprouting lids (fine, medium and coarse mesh) and a sprouting chart for about $5 at most natural food stores. Or you can make your own screen with cheese cloth (available at grocery stores) and a rubber band to hold it in place.)

Equipment needed:
• Wide-mouth quart jar
• Fine-mesh sprouting lid
• Medium-mesh sprouting lid
• Cereal bowl

01 JUL

Five of the Healthiest Breakfast Cereals

Cheerios (Original)
Serving Size: 1 cup (30g)
Calories: 110
Fat: 2g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 1g
Sodium: 210mg
Carbs: 22g
Protein: 3g

Cheerios was made and marketed in 1941 by General Mills under the name “Cheeri Oats,” and the named changed to “Cheerios” because of the “o” shape. Cheerios has always been and remains a “children’s favorite cereal.” Be careful with the flavored cheerios, though, because even the multigrain Cheerios are loaded with sugar!

Mesa Sunrise Flakes
Serving Size: ¾ cup (30g)
Calories: 120
Fat: 1.5g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 4g
Sodium: 130mg
Carbs: 24g
Protein: 3g

01 SEP

Are You Really Hungry?

When we eat while actually hungry, food tastes much better and we’re physiologically primed for proper digestion. Hunger, in the true sense of the word, indicates to us that it’s time to stop what we’re doing and nourish our bodies.

Consider that real hunger is not often experienced in our modern, overfed population. Most people no longer remember or are aware of what hunger feels like. Most are surprised to learn that it’s a sensation felt in the throat, not in the head or stomach.

Instead of true hunger, what people are experiencing are detoxification or withdrawal symptoms. They feel shaky, headachy, weak, or suffer from abdominal cramps or spasms. They conclude that these are hunger symptoms because eating relieves them. I call this persistent imposter “stress hunger.”

Stress hunger is created by the symptoms a person experiences that are due to toxic wastes being mobilized for elimination. It occurs after a meal is digested and the digestive track is empty. It can make us feel very uncomfortable.